The Samoyed is a loving, playful, and fun dog. They make excellent pets, but they’re more suitable for an active family who can give them plenty of attention and outdoor exercise. While there is no doubting the breed’s intelligence, the Samoyed is known to be very independent and has huge stores of energy that need releasing, which presents a challenge when it comes to training.

There is no secret unlock code for training a Sammie. The best results come from patience, persistence, and consistency. Below, we provide 12 tips to help ensure you have the best chance of success when training this working breed.

About the Samoyed Breed

The Samoyed is an ancient breed, first reared by the Samoyede people of Siberia. The dog was raised to herd cattle, pull sleds, hunt game, and perform other tasks required by families. As a working dog, the Samoyed also had to live in very close quarters with the family, often sleeping with their handlers to keep the family warm at night. While the Samoyed’s duties may differ today, the breed has retained many attributes that made it such an important part of the Samoyede family.

Are Samoyeds Easy to Train?

Having been raised as sled-pulling dogs, Samoyeds are full of energy. They are also very independent, typically looking for jobs and tasks to entertain themselves. This combination means training needs to be well structured, and owners need to provide tasks and reinforce positive actions with positive rewards. However, they are intelligent and loving and will work for their owners. If you can overcome that independent streak, Sammies can be trained.

However, the Samoyed’s independent streak and high demands make them unsuitable for first-time owners.

The 12 Samoyed Training Tips

Training any dog requires similar patterns. Stop unwanted behavior, reward positive behavior, and persist with your training efforts. Below are some tips to help ensure that your efforts are properly rewarded.

1. Start Young

Dogs are at their most receptive when they are young puppies. They will be more likely to learn and remember the commands you teach, and the training you undertake when your Samoyed is young will set you up for a lifetime of positive behavior.

Ideally, you should start basic training as soon as a puppy leaves their mother and you take them home. Failing this, start as soon as possible, even with basic training. Litter training, teaching your puppy not to jump up, and discouraging unwanted behaviors are some of the first training steps you will take.

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2. Socialization

Socialization means introducing your puppy to other dogs, new people, and new situations. This not only helps your dog get used to other types of animals and people, but they are less likely to become scared or anxious when they encounter something new.

Like training, socialization should start when your puppy is young and continue throughout your pup’s life. Puppy classes are a great place to start.

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3. Regular Exercise

Samoyeds have a lot of energy, and if you don’t exercise your Sammie, it can lead to behavioral issues that are difficult to train out of your dog. As the saying goes, a tired dog is a good dog. Provide a minimum of 90 minutes of exercise every day. While some of this can include intense indoor play, Samoyeds prefer time outdoors, and they love to go on long walks.

They’re athletic dogs that were raised to pull sleds, and when your Samoyed is an adult, they’ll be stong enough to compete in sled-pulling competitions.

 

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4. Be Consistent

Consistency is critical to positive training. If you want to stop your dog from getting up on furniture, you need to consistently tell them no and praise them when they sit or lay calmly next to the furniture. Similarly, you must praise positive actions like sitting and being patient consistently.

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5. Be Clear

Your commands need to be clear, and you need to stick to the same commands each time. While “sit” is a joint command most dog owners use, confusion can arise around other commands. If you use “down” as a command to have your dog lay down, you can’t use it as a command to get off furniture or stop jumping up.

Choose your commands, use them consistently, and ensure you speak them clearly so they are easy to understand.

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6. Be Patient

Samoyeds can learn new commands in just a few repetitions and obey known commands virtually every time. Regardless of your Samoyed’s age, be prepared that training will not be successful overnight. Don’t get frustrated if your Sammie doesn’t pick up a new command in the first session. This is especially true when working with a puppy.

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7. Distract

You can teach a dog the “stop” or “no” command, but you can also reinforce this with distraction. If your puppy nips at your feet, say “no” and then offer a toy to play with instead. When they pick up the toy, praise them. Distraction is a powerful training tool.

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8. Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement involves praising your dog when they do something you want to encourage. This includes rewarding and praising your puppy when they respond to commands, but you can also reinforce any positive action. If your dog sits when meeting a new person, praise the action even if you didn’t ask for it. Eventually, your dog will associate that action with getting a positive reward.

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9. Don’t Punish

You can teach “no” and “stop” commands and use them when your Sammie is doing something you don’t want, but they shouldn’t be used as a punishment. Rather, they should be used as a correction and a means of encouraging positive behavior that can be rewarded. Don’t scold your dog, and don’t punish them.

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10. Daily Training

Training is most effective when it is undertaken regularly and consistently. You should conduct training sessions every day, even if you can only spare a few minutes. You will likely be training your dog throughout the day, encouraging good behavior and preventing bad behavior, but you should also work on commands and intentional training.

Make training part of your routine, and it will become part of your Samoyed’s routine, too.

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11. Keep It Short

Embarking on a long training session essentially sets your dog up for failure. They will become distracted and bored, eventually looking for other things to do or just walking away from you. And they will be less inclined to take part in training next time.

Keep sessions short, especially when your dog is a young puppy, and try to make the sessions fun so that they keep your dog’s attention as well as yours.

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12. Give Them Tasks

Samoyeds were raised as working dogs, and they respond well to being given tasks to do. You may not need your dog to pull a sled, but you can provide tasks in other ways. Give them puzzle toys and games at home, and sign up for dry-sledding or flyball. Tasks like these will tax your dog’s brain, keep them active, and help with your ongoing training efforts.

Is the Samoyed a Good Beginner Dog?

The Samoyed is an independent breed that needs a lot of physical exercise and mental stimulation. Therefore, they’re not generally recommended for first-time owners. However, as long as you are prepared to put in a lot of time training and socializing and are willing to enlist training help, you can enjoy success with this breed even as a novice owner.

Is the Samoyed Hard to Take Care Of?

Samoyeds do have a lot of demands. They need plenty of exercise, socialization, and training, and that thick double coat needs regular care, too. However, the breed is loving and loyal, and intelligent, so while they’re difficult to handle in some respects, they’re a joy to own.

Final Thoughts

The Samoyed is a working dog breed with an independent streak, but that doesn’t mean training is impossible. To have the greatest chance of training success, start young, be consistent, and use positive reinforcement training techniques. Sign up for puppy classes when your dog is young, and consider participating in canine sports and activities like flyball, agility, or sled pulling.

See Also: 

• 7 Samoyed Health Issues You Should Know Before You Get One
• How Much Exercise Do Samoyeds Need? Vet-Approved Care Facts

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Featured Image Credit By: Chendongshan, Shutterstock